Missouri newlyweds get blessing from the pope

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Not every bride wears three wedding dresses.

The third was an unplanned purchase on their honeymoon in Rome, Italy, when Katie Gilbert and her husband, Jordan, were given the unexpected opportunity to be blessed by Pope Francis.

What they thought would be just a tour of the holy site turned into a once-in-a-lifetime offer by Mid-Missouri seminarian Deacon Geoff Brooke, who is director of tourism at St. Peter's Basilica for English-speaking guests.

"Walking into St. Peter's Basilica, it was breathtaking; it brought me to tears," Jordan said.

Then to be handed a ticket that typically requires six months of planning; it was the best experience of the young couple's lives.

"I feel like God wanted us to be there in that moment," Jordan said.

But the offer was made on Tuesday, and the papal audience for newlyweds happens on Wednesdays.

They had to get their marriage license sent over that day.

And, because the marriage blessing ceremony requires couples to wear their wedding attire -- and Katie obviously didn't pack her wedding gown for the honeymoon -- they had to go shopping.

She wore a formal gown for their traditional full Mass celebration Oct. 11 at St. Martins Catholic Church. And she had a second, more casual, wedding gown for her reception -- so she could dance, she said.

The quick logistics were worth it when they passed the Swiss Guard to shake Pope Francis' hand.

Jordan said to the Bishop of Rome, "This is my wife, my love."

While he was on the steps of the Vatican, Jordan said he was amazed to see half a million people fill the square on a Wednesday morning.

"That blew my mind; a rock concert won't draw that many," he said.

The couple knows it was divine intervention that gave them the opportunity only about 30 couples each week, mostly Italian, may experience.

"How do you put in words the best experience of your life? It was so powerful," Jordan said.

The Rev. Joe Corel blessed their marriage the first time.

The pope's blessing gave the couple a sense of total reconciliation, Jordan said.

"When we go to Reconciliation for our sins, it's like erasing a chalkboard," he said. "The pope's blessing is like washing the dust off the chalkboard.

"It's like a clean slate of our sins."

Faith is a key component to the couple's daily lives.

That's why they chose to have a full Mass wedding and why they chose Rome as their honeymoon destination.

Katie grew up Catholic in Freeburg, Missouri, and Jordan converted in third grade with his family in Jefferson City.

Meeting the leader of their faith did not overshadow their newlywed experience.

"I think it strengthened our excitement about our marriage," Katie said.

Corel noted the Gilberts, ages 23 and 26, are special because of how seriously they take their faith.

Their wedding and their surprise papal blessing may now be a witness to their contemporaries, he said.

"They can bring people back to the faith; we like to see it modeled like this," said Corel, who is the Diocese of Jefferson City vocation director.

Pope Francis has encouraged churches to be more welcoming, to bring people together, Jordan noted.

"Meeting the pope was a blessing, but a forever blessing to continually share with others," he said.

Information from: Jefferson City News Tribune, http://www.newstribune.com